Portable support for invalids



FiledV Feb. 2, 1944 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 vMaurch 16, 1948 B. AMI-:s

` PORTA-BLE SUPPORT FOR INVALIDS Filed Feb. 2, 1944 5 sheets-sheet 2March 16, 1948. v B. AMES PORTABLE SUPPORT FOR INVALIDS 5 Sheets-Sheef 5Filed Feb. 2,` 1944 March 16, 1948. B. AMES -2,437,778-

PORTABLE SUPPORT FOR INVALIDS Filed Feb. 2, 1944 5 sheets-sheet 4.

March 16, 1948. B. AMES 2,437,778

PORTABLE SUPPORT FOR INVALIDS Filed Feb.V 2, 1944 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 @MQWPatented Mar. 16, 1948 PORTABLE SUPPORT FOR INVALIDS Butler Ames,Boston, Mass., assigner to The Walkabout Company, Lowell, Mass., acorporation of Massachusetts Application February 2, 1944, Serial No.520,745

9 Claims. (Cl. 155-22) This invention pertains to portable supports forindividuals, for example persons incapacitated from walking by reason ofinfirmity or age, or those liable to be subjected to extreme wearines-sfrom prolonged standing or walking, and relates more particularly to animproved support of the general type disclosed in United States patentto Ames 2,282,689-dated May 19, 1942.

The support of the present invention, like that disclosed in the patent,comprises two substantially rigid supporting units normally disposed inspaced substantially parallel relation and between which the user standsor sits, and a back to which both supporting units are hinged. Theframes of the supporting units and back are in general similar to thecorresponding parts of the patented device1 being made of thin and lightbut very stiff and rigid tubing. The top or hand supporting bar or railof each supporting unit is preferably integrally continuous with thefront and rear legs of the respective unit, while the lower, stretcherbar of each supporting unit is welded to the legs, and the constituentbars of the back are welded together. The hinge connections between thesupporting units are likewise in general similar in structure andfunction to the corresponding portions of the patented device, being sodesigned as to permit the supporting units to be swung through aros ofapproximately 180 and placed in parallel folded positions forconvenience in shipping or storing the support.

As disclosed in the aforesaid patent, the support is provided withwheels at its forward end only and normally rests upon skids at its rearend. These skids are effective in preventing the del/i@ from getting outof control of the user, 'for instance when on an incline, but on theother hand make it necessary to expend more energy than may sometime-sbe desirable in propelling the device.

Objects of the present invention are to provide an improved support ofthe type disclosed in said patent but which is easy to propel, which islight in weight and foldable for transportation; to provide afour-wheeled support having swiveled front wheels thereby to facilitatesteering it; to provide a four-wheeled support which is safe for theuser even on an incline; to provide a wheeled support having brakeswhich are readily controlled by the user even though the user be weakinfirm: to provide a wheeled support which rrey safely be left standingalone without danger th at it will run away; to provide a support whichis and stable; to provide a support having provision for the optionalemployment of crutch devices to assist in supporting the user; toprovide wheel-supported crutches which are independently adjustable asto heighth and relatively movable toward and from each othertoaccommodate users of diierent sizes and to yield to bodily movements;and to provide a wheeled support having swiveled front wheels but sodesigned that the front wheels do not drag when the device is folded fortransportation.

Other and further objects and advantages of the invention will bepointed out in the following more detailed description and by referenceto the accompanying drawings wherein A Fig. 1 is a side elevation of theimproved support set up and ready for use', but omitting the crutches;

Fig. 2 is a rear elevation of the device shown in Fig. 1i

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the device of Fig. 1 as it appears whenfolded for storage or transportation, the seat being omitted;

Fig. 4 is a front elevation of the device showing the crutches inoperative position, the seat being broken away;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary, diametrical section to larger scale, showingdetails of the hinge means which connects the back with each supportingunit;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary diametrical section, to largerscale than Fig. 1,through one of the rear legs illustrating details of the rear wheelbrake;

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary diametrical section, to larger scale than Fig.6, showing further details of the brake;

Fig. 8 is a view generally similar to Fig. 6 but illustrating details ofthe front wheel brake;

Fig. 9 is a longitudinal section through the hand-supporting rail of oneof the units, illustrating details of the brake controller;

Fig. 10 is a side elevation of a tubular guide member constituting aportion of the hand supporting rail;

Fig. 11 is a side elevation of a cam sleeve forming a part of the brakecontroller;

Fig. 12 is a transverse section, to larger scale, substantially on theline l2-l2 of Fig. 9;

Fig. 12a is a, fragmentary plan view of the forward end portion of thehand grip of the brake controller showing the retaining latch;

Fig. 13 is a fragmentary section on the line i3|3 of Fig. 12a;

Fig. 14 is a section on the line Ill- I4 of Fig. 13; Y

Fig. 15 is a side elevation of the upper part of the crutch staffshowing the arm-pit pad;

Fig. 16 is a fragmentary elevation, partly in diametrical section, ofthe upper part of the crutch stai socket and the lower -partv of therestraining bracket;

Fig. 1'7 is a fragmentary plan View of the crutch-restraining bracket;

Fig. 18 is a fragmentary side elevation of the stretcher bar of one ofthe units showing the lower end of the crutch socket attached thereto;

and

Fig. 19 is a plan view of a connecting pin having a, retaining ringassociated with it.

Referring to Fig. 2 of the drawings,the numeral l designates the back ofthe support. This back comprises parallel, substantially;horizontalstretcher bars 2 and 3 which are-rigidly united` at their opposite ends,for example by brazing or welding, to a pair of hingesleeveswand. 5forming a part of the hinge means which connects the back to therespective supporting units. The supporting units are alike and eachcomprises a. rear leg- 6 (Figs..1 vand 3),.a frontleg V'l Vand `an upperor handfsupportingrail.comprising thealigned members .8 .and .8a. united-by Ya tubular guide l member Y8Xvr (Fig. 10) .hereinafter more .fullydescribed. Each supportingunitalso comprises a stretcher bar-,9l spacedasubstantial .distance below the hand-supporting rail and substantiallyparallel to the latter, the. opposite .ends of the stretcher barbelngrigidly l.united to the .rear and front legsV Band1,by.weldingbrazing orthe like. The parts, 1 8, .8a and, aswellas Athetop and bottom rails. 2.and3 ofthe back, are preferably formed ,of,thin-but very rigidand strong metal tubing, forexample drawn stainless,steel tubing. As hereillustrated .the .rear leg.6 is integrally joinedwith the part 8 by a, smoothly ,bent portion HJ4 of thetubularmaterial,while the front leg 'l is integrally united to the part 8- ofthel hand-supporting rail by the` smooth bend The front and rear legs 6and] .of theunit diverge downwardly awayfrom each other, the upperportions of these legspreferably making an angle of approximately 5%.withthevertical. Likewise the hinge members Land 5l of the back divergedownwardly from each othermaking a similar angle of 51A1 with theverticalso that the axes of these hinge sleeves 4 and 5 make angles ofapproximately 84% with the connectingrails 2 and 3. The downwarddivergence of 'the'. hinge sleeves!! and 5 provides forv stability Vofthedevice by spreading the supporting unitsapartattheir lower portions,while 'the inclination of thel legs of the unit causes the front wheelsof the two units to be elevated from the floor when the device is foldedas shown inFig. 3 so Ithat only twoof the wheels, that is tojsayv therear wheels ofthe device, then contact the floor. Thisl preventssthefreely swiveling front wheels from interfering with the` transportationof the foldedldevice when wheeling it along onits rearwheels in theposition of Fig. 3.

As illustrated invFig. 5, the rear leg 6 ,of each unit extends downthrough a corresponding hinge sleeve 5 of the back member located, abovethe Astretcher bar v9 of each unit. Each leg is provided with a xedcollar vor annulus'l5welded to the leg and having its upper edgeA shapedto. provide teeth i6 of truncated triangularshape. IThe lower` end ofthe hinge sleeve `5 is swedged to increase its diameter as shown in Fig.1'7 and within this enlargement there is fixed, asA byubrazing, a ringor annulus i8 whose'loweredge is shaped to provide teeth lf),v also oftruncated triangular shape and designedto fit. normally within A,beraised sufficiently to disengage the teeth I5 and 19, whereupon thesupporting units may be swung about the axes of the legs 6 so as todispose thevsupporting units in substantially parallel planeswith theback interposed between them asshown in Fig. 3. rIhe front and rear legsof the device are so bent that their lower portions Ea and 'la (Figs. 1and 2) are substantially vertical.

Therlower end of each rear leg 5 (Fig. 6) is provided with a iixedcollar 22 brazed or otherwise rigidly secured to the leg, such collarconstituting the upper part of a forked bracket 23 4v(Fig. 2),havingbearings for the rear wheel 2li.

Thisrear wheel may be of conventional wirefspoke construction, having arubber or other resilient tire 24. As above noted, the collars 22,arerigidly secured to the lower ends of the legs 6 and the brackets 23are so arranged that the Vplanes of the rea-r wheels are alwaysparallel.

Y Referring to Fig. 6, the lower portion 6 of the leg is shown asprovided with an internal elongate bushing 25 having a radial flange 2Laat its lower end which underlies the collar 22 and this bush-- ing 25 isshaped to provide an elongate chamber '2*5 .which houses a long coiledspring 2l whose upper end bears against the upper wall of the chamber 26and whose lower end bears against the upper surface of a brake shoe 39designed to cooperate with the tire of the rear wheel. A

sleeve 28, arranged within the bushing 25, constitutes an inner wall forthe spring chamber 26 and provides a guideway for an elongate tubularstem 29 to which the brake shoe 39 is attached. This brake shoe is hereshown as a disk having a substantially fiat lower surface 3 forengagement with the tire of the wheel, the axis of this disk 30 beingradial of the wheel with which the brake shoe cooperates.

The stem 2S of the brake shoe is internally screw threaded as shown at32 (Fig. 7) for the reception of an externally screw threaded plug 33 towhich the lower end of a length of piano wire or cable 34 is secured b va swivel connection of any desired type. A lock nut 35 is also arrangedwithin the tubular stem 29 and may be screwed up tight against the lowerend of the plug 33 thereby to hold the latter in adjusted position.However by removing the screw 35. a screw driver may be insertedupwardly through the brake shoe and into engagement with a slot 33a inthe lower end of the plug and the plug may be turned thereby to vary theeffective length of fthe wire 34,

Referring to Fig 8, the lower end ''of each front leg of each unit isprovided with spaced internal bushings 35 and 31 respectively which arebrazed or welded in position and which provide bearings for along sleeve38 which is integral or xedly united to a collar` 39 which forms theupper portion of a forked bracket itl (Fig. l) which provides bearings4I for a wheel provided with a resilient tire. (l2 and preferably of thesame diameter as the rear wheel. The forked bracket 40 Aas shown in Fig.1, is bent so that the axis 4| Of the front wheel does not lie in thevertical plane of the front leg. The bearing sleeve 38 is free to turnin the bushings 36 and 31 and thus the front wheel freely swivels withreference to the lower end 1a of the front leg. f

The bearing sleeve 38 is shaped to provide a spring housing chamber 43within which is arranged a long coiled spring 44, the lower end of whichbears against a brake shoe 55. This brake shoe has a stern 46 which isarranged to slide in an axial bore in a bushing l1 disposed within thesleeve 38 and which constitutes the inner wall of the spring chamber 43.A stem E (similar to the stem 29 of the rear wheel brake) is providedwith an internal longitudinally adjustable plug (not shown) to which thelower end of the flexible connector 34a is secured by any suitableswivel union. The brake shoe 45 is provided with a lower contact surfacewhich is of frusto-conical shape and of such slope that its surface,which at any time engages the tire 42 of the front wheel is in .a planesubstantially tangent to the tire. By making the brake shoe of the shapejust described it is equally effective regardless of the position of thefront wheel as the latter swivels about the axis of the lower part 1a ofthe front leg.

The flexible transmitters 3A and 34a (preferably lengths of piano wireor substantially inextensible, non-twisting cable) lead upwardly throughthe hollow legs of the unit and into the members 8 and i?a respectivelyof the hand-supporting rail.

Referring to Figs, 9 to 12, the opposed ends 8m of the parts 8 and 8arespectively of the handsupporting rail are shown as of enlargeddiameter, for example as the result of swedging, and

within these enlarged portions are welded or 8n respectively. Thethreads at opposite ends of the guide 8X Iare of right and left pitchrespectively, so that when engaged with the collars 8n and rotated, thesleeve 8X draws the parts 8 and 3a of the hand-supporting rail towardeach other and into rm engagement with the opposite ends of the member8X.

The transmitters 34 and 3de extend into the opposite ends of the tubularguide member 8X and the end of each transmitter is secured to a swivelmember 49 (Fig. 9) which is arranged to turn freely within a cylindricalplug 5G which slides longitudinally within the bore 5! of the member 8X.

A cam sleeve 52 (Fig. 11) embraces the member 8x, being free to turn onthe latter, the opposite ends` of the cam sleeve bearing against theinner ends of the bushings 8 so that the cam sleeve may not moveaxially. This cam sleeve is provided with axially spaced, oppositelyinclined cam slots 53 and 54 extending through its wall and with anopening 55 approximately mid-way between said slots. Preferably, thesleeve is finished with two cam slots 53 and two cam slots 54 located atdiametrically opposite points. rIhe tubular member 8X (Fig. 10) isfurnished with axially elongate slots 55a and 55a which underlie theslots 53 and 54 of the cam sleeve, and is likewise provided with aperipheraily elongate slot 551 which underlies the opening 55 A pin 5Sis secured to each sliding plug 55. As here shown at the right-hand sideof Fig. 9, the opposite ends of pin 56 project outwardly throughdiametrically opposite slots 54a and through the corresponding cam slots53. The pin 56 (not shown) for the other plug 50 projects out throughthe slots 55a of the member 8x and into the cam slots 54 of the sleeve52. A pin 51 passes through the diametrically opposite openings in thesleeve 52 and through slots 55b of the member 8X. Preferably, as hereshown, a cylindrical hand grip 58 is arranged to embrace the enlargedend portions 811 of the members 8 and 8a and to turn upon said enlargedportions, and the pin 51 extends outwardly through openings in this handgrip 58 and is headed over at its opposite ends to prevent itswithdrawal.

By turning the hand grip, the pin 51 is rocked freely in the elongateslots 55a of the stationary member 8x and transmits motion of therotation to the cam sleeve 52. When the cam sleeve 52 is turned, thepins 56, byv engagement with the sloping cam slots 53 and 54, cause theplugs 55 to move toward or from each other. In moving toward each otherthey draw on the transmitter 35 and 35 and thus retract the brake shoesfrom the front and rear wheels. On the other hand, when the plugs 55 arepermitted to move away from each other, the springs 21 and 44 urge thebrake shoes toward and into contact with the respective wheels. Sincethe brake-applying springs are of substantial length and open-coiled,they exert a substantially uniform pressure upon the tires of the wheeleven though the tires may become worn from use- In order to preventapplication of the brakes, it is preferable to provide locking means tohold the hand grip in the brake-retracting position. For this purposeeach handgrip is provided with an elongate slot 8e near its forward endwhich receives a sliding latch member 59 whose forward end may be causedto engage a slot in the corre spending bushing 8U. This latch member 59may be actuated by the thumb of the user while his hand holds the grip58. The latch may thus be advanced to lock the hand grip in thebrake-retracting position or may be readily retracted to permit the handgrip to turn and thus allow the springs to apply the brakes. The handgrip turns so freely when unlocked that the springs automatically applythe brakes. Y

As disclosed in the aforementioned patent, eac of the stretcher bars 9is provided with a xed bracket 6I (Fig. 18) near its forward end, eachbracket having a recess 62 which is designed to receive a pin providedat the end of a bar 53 (Fig. l) extending across the forward edge of aflexible seat member 64. The upper edge of this seat member is securedto the upper rail of the back. When in use, the bar 53 is engaged withthe recesses or slots 52 of the brackets, thus holding the seat inoperative position as shown in Fig. 1, but when the seat is not to beused the bar 33 is disengaged from the bracket 5l and the flexible seatmaterial may be wound about the bars 2 and 3 of the back. As hereillustrated each bracket 6I is provided with a transverse opening 55(Fig. 1) which is designed to receive a pin S5 (Fig. 18) passing throughthe forked lower end of a plug B1 which is fixed within the lower end ofa tubulark crutch socket 69. This crutch socket1 is preferably of thinrigid tubing and of a length (Fig. 4) such as to reach up substantiallyto the level'of the corresponding hand-supporting rail and is preferablyprovided at its upper end with a radial flange 10 (Fig. 16). Eachhand-supporting rail is provided, at a point just forward of its brakecontrolling hand grip 58, with a bracket member 1I (Fig. 1) (which maybe removable if desired) to which is secured or with which is integral ahorizontal member 12l (Fig. 17) provided with an elongate loopedlportion 13 (Fig..16 and Fig.-17) which embraces the upper part of thecrutchsocket 19 at a point just below the flange l0. the upper part ofythe crutch socket to move laterally within the loop, the crutch socketswinging about its point of connection to the bracket 6l. The crutchsocket is designed to receive the lower, substantially straight portion14 of a crutch staff whose upper end portion 15 is preferably-curved. Atits upper end each crutch socket is designed to -receive a plugprojecting from an arm-pit rest Yor.pad 16. The straight lower portionof each crutch staff is furnished with a series of spaced openings 11,and the upper part of each crutch socket is furnished with a singleopening 18 (Fig. 4). A retaining pin 19 (Fig. 16) may be passed throughthe opening 18 of the socket and through any selected one of theopenings 11 of the crutch staif thereby to hold the crutch staff invertically adjusted position. Preferably the pins 19 are, as illustratedin Fig. 19, riveted to the closed side of a split resilient ring 80.With this arrangement, when the pin is passed through the openings 11and 18, the split ring 80 is brought into embracing relation to thesocket and thus effectively holds the pin in position until sufficientforce .is applied to spread the ring B and permit the pin to bewithdrawn. The arm-pit rest 16 is removably secured to the upper end ofthe crutch stall by a similar pin and ring-88a. The pin 66 which unitesthelower end of the crutch staff socket to the bracket 6| is likewisepreferably carried by a split ring 8| (Fig. 18) which embraces the lowerend 69 of the socket.

In use, the crutch staffs are disposed as shown in Fig. 4 so that theircurved upper parts are concave toward each other. This disposes thearmpit pads 16 nearer to each other than the handsupporting rails of therespective units so that the arm-pit pads are conveniently located forthe user whose arms extend downwardly in diverging relation and whosehands grip the hand-supporting rails. Since the sockets 69 may swingoutwardly or inwardly to a limited extent the position of the pads 16may vary inaccordance with the size of the user and the user is givenmuch more freedom of movement than though the pads were rigidly xed inposition. By removing the pins 19 the crutch stalls may be adjustedvertically to accommodate users 0f different heights.

While the device is shown in Fig. 4 as provided with crutches, it isobvious that the crutches may be removed either by removing the stallsfrom their sockets or by removing the sockets from the brackets El and12. If desired the brackets 12 may also be removed from thevarm-supporting rails.

In the normal use of the device the two supporting units are disposed sothat they are substantially at right angles to the plane. of the back,being held in this position by the tooth members I 6 and I9 of the hingemeans. In this position the operator may stand or sit betweenthesupporting units and may propel himself along in any desired direction,supporting a portion or all of his weight upon the wheels. Since thefront wheels readily swivel it is easy to guide'the apparatus in anydirection. The provision of the brakes makes it possible to provide fourwheels for the device without any danger that it will run away andinjure the occupant.

When the device is to be stored, or when it is to be transported fromplace to `place (when not The loop 13 is of such length as to-permit 1supporting units swung in opposite directions about the hinge meansuntil the supporting units lie at the opposite sides of the back and insubstantially parallel planes. By reason of the inclination of thehinged axes this folding operation raises the front wheels from theground G as shown in Fig. 3, so that the device may be trundled alongupon the rear wheels 2f! without danger that the swiveling front wheels42 will come into contact with the ground and thus impede motion of thedevice.

Preferably, as hereinabove described, each of the four wheels isprovided with a brake, it is contemplated that one pair of brakes mightbe omitted, if desired. Likewise the seat and crutches may be omitted ifit be desired to provide a simpler and less expensive device for morelimited use.

While a certain desirable embodiment of the invention has here beenshown and descri-bed by way of example, it is to be understood that theinvention is not necessarily limited to the precise details ofconstruction here shown but is to be regarded as broadly inclusive ofany modification or rearrangement falling within the terms of theappended claims.

I claim:

l. A portable support for invalid or similar use comprising a pair ofsupporting units, a back, hinge means uniting the back to each unit, thehinge means being so constructed and arranged that, at will, thesupporting units may be folded into substantially parallel relation tothe back, and a seat interposed between the supporting units, each unitincluding a hand-supporting rail and each unit having front and rearwheels, a brake for each wheel of each unit, a spring tending to forceeach brake into operative engagement with its respective wheel, a sleevemounted to turn on the hand-supporting rail of each unit, a pair ofindependent, longitudinally movable plugs within each hand-supportingrail, a eXible transmitter uniting each plug with one of the brakes,respectively, of the corresponding unit, and cam means actuated byrotation of the sleeve for drawing the plugs toward each other therebyconcomitantly to release the brakes.

2. A portable support for invalid or similar use comprising a pair ofsupporting units, a back, hinge means uniting the back to each unit, thehinge means being so constructed and arranged that, at will, thesupporting units may be folded into substantially parallel relation tothe back, and a seat interposed between the supporting units, each unitincluding a hand-supporting rail and each unit having front and rearwheels, the front wheels being carried by freely swiveling brackets, abrake for each wheel of each unit, spring means tending to force eachbrake into operative contact with the respective wheels, a brakecontroller mounted on each hand-supporting rail, ilexible transmittersfor transmitting motion from each controller to the brake of thecorresponding unit, and individually adjustable means for varying thelength of each transmitter.

3. A portable support for invalid or similar use comprising a pair ofsupporting units, a back, hinge means uniting the back to each unit, thehinge means being so constructed and arranged that, at will, thesupporting units may be folded into substantially parallel relation tothe back,

and a seat interposed between the supporting units, each unit includinga hand-supporting rail and each unit having front and rear wheels, thefront wheels being carried by freely swiveling brackets, a brake foreach wheel of each unit, spring means tending to force each brake intooperative contact with the respective wheels, a brake controller mountedon each hand-supporting rail, the frame of each unit consisting ofhollow tubular material, and ilexible transmitters extending through thetubular frame from each lcontroller to the brakes of the correspondingunit, and individually actuable adjusting means for varying the lengthof each transmitter.

4. A portable support for invalid or similar use comprising a pair ofsupporting units, a back, hinge means uniting the back to each unit, thehinge means being so constructed and arranged that, at will, thesupporting units may be folded into substantially parallel relation tothe back, and a seat interposed between the supporting units, each unitincluding a hand-supporting rail and each unit having front and rearwheels, the iront wheels being carried by freely swiveling brackets, abrake ior each wheel of each unit, spring means tending to force eachbrake into operative contact with the respective wheels, a brakecontroller mounted on each hand-supporting rail, each brake including .ashoe and a tubular guide stem, and a iiexible transmitter fortransmitting motion from each Controller to the brakes of thecorresponding unit, the tubular stem of each brake having within it alongitudinal adjustable plug to which one end of the correspondingtransmitter is attached by a swivel connection.

5. A portable support for invalid or similar use comprising a pair ofsupporting units, a back, hinge means uniting the back to each unit, thehinge means being so constructed and arranged that, at will, thesupporting units may be folded into substantially parallel relation tothe back, and a seat interposed between the supporting units, each unitincluding a hand-supporting rail and each unit having front and rearwheels, the front wheels being carried by freely swiveling ibrackets, abrake for each wheel of each unit, spring means tending to yforce each'brake into operative `contact with the respective wheels, a brakecontroller mounted on each hand-supporting rail, each brake including asleeve and a tubular guide stem, and a fiexible transmitter fortransmitting motion from each controller to the brakes of thecorresponding unit, the tubular stem of each brake being internallyscrewthreaded and having within it a longitudinal adjustablescrew-threaded plug to which one end of the corresponding transmitter isattached by a swivel connection.

6. A portable support for invalid or similar use comprising a pair ofsupporting units, a back, hinge means uniting the back to each unit, thehinge means being so constructed and arranged that, at will, thesupporting units may be folded into substantially parallel relation tothe back, and a seat interposed between the supporting units, each unitincluding a hand-supporting rail and each unit having front and rearwheels, the front wheels being carried :by freely swiveling brackets, abrake for each wheel of eac-h unit, a brake controller mounted on eachhand-supporting rail, each brake including a sleeve and a tubular guidestem, a iiexible transmitter for transmitting motion from eachcontroller to the brake of the corresponding unit, one end of each`comprising a pair of transmitter being connected by swivel means to theguide stem of one of the brake shoes, and a coil spring embracing thestem of each brake and arranged to urge the brake lshoe toward theperiphery of the corresponding wheel.

'7.'A portable support for invalid or similar use comprising a pair ofsupporting units and a back and hinge means uniting the back to eachsupporting unit, the hinge means being so constructed and arranged that,at will, the supporting units may be folded into substantially parallelrelation to the back, and a seat normally interposed between thesupporting units, each unit including lengths of hollow tubular materialshapedV to provide a substantially horizontal hand-supporting rail andfront and rear legs, a wheel mounted on each leg, the front wheels beingmounted in forked bearings which swivel freely with respect to the frontlegs, a brake for each wheel of each unit, each brake being movableaxially of the corresponding leg of its unit, and a spring urging thebrake toward the perphery of its respective wheel, and means forretracting each brake from its wheel, said retracting means comprising atubular hand grip mounted on and coaxial with each hand-supporting rail,a pair of spaced axially slidable plugs within the hand-supporting rail,av cylindrical sleeve nested within the hand grip and free to turn onthe hand rail, said sleeve having a pair of axially spaced oppositelysloped cam slots in its walls, means connecting the sleeve and hand gripwhereby rotation of the latter turns the sleeve, a projection on eachplug which enters one of the respective cam slots whereby rotation ofthe' hand grip causes separation or approach of the plugs, and aflexible transmitter connecting each plug to one ofthe respectivebrakes.

8. A portable support for invalid lor similar use comprising a pair ofsupporting units and a back and hinge means uniting the back to eachsupporting unit, the hinge means iloeing so constructed and arrangedthat, at will, the sup-- porting units may be folded into substantiallyparallel relation to the back, and a seat normally interposed betweenthe supporting units, each unit including lengths of hollow tubularmaterial shaped to provide a substantially horizontal hand-supportingrail and front and rear legs, each hand-supporting rail including atubular guide member provided with a bore constituting a guideway, apair of plugs sliding in said guideway, a flexible transmitter attachedto each plug and extending through the hollow hand-supporting rail andto the lower end of one of the respective legs, a wheel carried by eachleg, a brake for each wheel, each brake being movable axially of the legand a spring urging each brake toward the periphery of its respectivewheel, means connecting the lower end of each transmitter to one of therespective brakes, a cylindrical sleeve mounted to turn on each of saidtubular guide members, each sleeve having a pair of axially spaced,oppositely inclined cam slots in its wall, a pin projecting from eachplug into one of said cam slots, and means :for turning the sleeve,thereby to cause the plugs to move toward or away from each other andthus release or apply the brakes to the several wheels.

9. A portable support for invalid or similar use supporting units and aback and hinge means uniting the back to each supporting unit, the hingemeans being so constructed and arranged that, at will, the supportshapedto provide a substantially horizontal hand-supporting rail and front andrearA legs, each hand-supporting rail including a tubular guide memberprovided with a bore constituting a guideway, a pair of plugs sliding insaid guideway, a iiexible transmitter attached to each plug andextending through the hollow hand-supporting rail and to the lower endof one of the respective legs, a wheel carried by each leg, a brake foreach Wheel, each brake being movable axially of the leg and a springurging each :brake toward the periphery of its respective Wheel, meansconnecting the lower end of each transmitter to one of the respectivebrakes, a cylindrical sleeve mounted to turn on each of'said tubularguide members, each sleeve having a pair of axially spaced, oppositelyinclined cam slots in its wall, a pin projecting from each plug into oneof said cam slots, and means for turn ing the sleeve, thereby to causethe plugs to move toward or away from each other and thus release orapply the brakes to the several wheels, and a manually-actuable lockingelement operative 12 at will to connect the cylindrical sleeve to arelatively stationary portion of the hand-supporting rail.

BUTLER AMES.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 694,791 Sack Mar. 4, 19021,085,573 Adams Jan. 27, 1914 1,521,627 Jacobs Jan, 6, 1925 1,887,351Hendrickson Nov. 8, 1932 1,917,440 Fiukbeiner et al. July 11, 19331,949,163 Kastan et al. Feb. 27, 1934 2,058,205 Bandura Oct. 20, 19362,077,569 Kish Apr. 20, 1937 2,129,260 Bowser Sept. 6, 1938 2,282,689Ames May 12, 1942 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 4,212 GreatBritain Jan. 27, 1818 174,000 Switzerland Mar. 1, 1935

